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YEAH University Challenge is back

empfrench

How interesting...and yet wasn't there a protest in the 80s by somewhere like Leeds over the percieved Oxbridge bias? Why would they have done that if, essentially, there was none?

Only one team from each institution may appear on the series, so there is by default an oxbridge bias and this is reflected in the list of winners.

Reply 101

Catsmeat

13

Did anybody else find the music round on Monday rather vague?

The second picture round was a bit of a gift...Napoleon was actually in one of the paintings!

Reply 102

hobnob

14

ChemistBoy

Only one team from each institution may appear on the series, so there is by default an oxbridge bias and this is reflected in the list of winners.

Hmm, I've never actually watched University Challenge, so maybe this is a bit of a daft thing to say, but I don't think I quite understand how that can be an Oxbridge bias... Surely it should be easier for any university to come up with one good team than to come up with several? :confused:

Reply 103

ChemistBoy

16

hobnob

Hmm, I've never actually watched University Challenge, so maybe this is a bit of a daft thing to say, but I don't think I quite understand how that can be an Oxbridge bias... Surely it should be easier for any university to come up with one good team than to come up with several? :confused:

I don't think it is. I'm sure there are many universities that are capable of fielding more than 4 people who could do well in University challenge (Nottingham has over 32,000 students, I'm sure there are more than 4 who would put up a good show on UC). However most only get to have 4 people representing them and if, like when I was a student at St Andrews, the process is riddled with corruption, it does lead to embarrassment. I think it is that many people see the oxford colleges all as representatives of oxford university (and the same for the cambridge colleges and cambridge) rather than seperate institutions, so sheer force of numbers is going to increase their chances of winning as a university. If one thinks of it this way there is clearly a bias to oxford and cambridge universities.

Reply 104

Turdburger

16

But, if Oxbridge colleges have provided most of the wins historically, so if you let the 2 universities only field one team each, they would be probably wipe the floor with the opposition. Generally the colleges are about as strong as other universities teams.

Reply 105

hobnob

14

ChemistBoy

I don't think it is. I'm sure there are many universities that are capable of fielding more than 4 people who could do well in University challenge (Nottingham has over 32,000 students, I'm sure there are more than 4 who would put up a good show on UC). However most only get to have 4 people representing them and if, like when I was a student at St Andrews, the process is riddled with corruption, it does lead to embarrassment.

Fair enough, but when every college has a team, it can actually be quite tricky to find enough people who can be bothered, so often it isn't exactly a rigorous selection of the best candidates either and there's the same potential for embarassment. Or rather a higher potential for embarassment, seeing as there are more teams to embarass themselves. :p:

I think it is that many people see the oxford colleges all as representatives of oxford university (and the same for the cambridge colleges and cambridge) rather than seperate institutions, so sheer force of numbers is going to increase their chances of winning as a university. If one thinks of it this way there is clearly a bias to oxford and cambridge universities.

But clearly that's a misconception on the part of those many people, as it's teams and not universities that are declared winners. The fact that many people don't distinguish between, say, Keble and Corpus, because it's all Oxford to them (and consequently don't interpret the statistics correctly) doesn't constitute an Oxbridge bias, though, does it? If anything, it would be a perceived bias. :dontknow:

Reply 106

db

17

Heartbreaker

But, if Oxbridge colleges have provided most of the wins historically, so if you let the 2 universities only field one team each, they would be probably wipe the floor with the opposition. Generally the colleges are about as strong as other universities teams.

not neccessarily. Oxbridge winning more times than any other university could just as easily be attributed to luck then anything else. Say there is an equal chance of any particular team winning (which bar some of the incredibly dire teams is completely possible) there's more chance of an oxbridge team winning, purely because there are so many of them, than any other university.

Reply 107

ChemistBoy

16

hobnob

Fair enough, but when every college has a team, it can actually be quite tricky to find enough people who can be bothered, so often it isn't exactly a rigorous selection of the best candidates either and there's the same potential for embarassment. Or rather a higher potential for embarassment, seeing as there are more teams to embarass themselves. :p:

I think it can be quite hard to find anyone who can be bothered at any university.

But clearly that's a misconception on the part of those many people, as it's teams and not universities that are declared winners. The fact that many people don't distinguish between, say, Keble and Corpus, because it's all Oxford to them (and consequently don't interpret the statistics correctly) doesn't constitute an Oxbridge bias, though, does it? If anything, it would be a perceived bias. :dontknow:

But how many people does it take for the misconception to start affecting things? Remember that most of the other teams are representing their universities, not specific sub-institutions. I'm not saying the bias is undefendable, but it is simply true that representatives of oxford and cambridge do statistically have a much greater chance of winning UC because of their increased numbers. I don't think it really matters anyway. I, like a lot of people, find UC quite, quite uninteresting and anyone who thinks that the intellectual caliber of a university's students is in anyway reflected by the performance of a handful of students in a glorified pub quiz deserved to be shot.

Reply 108

empfrench

Exeter vs. Jesus, Cambridge tomorrow. I have friends at both, but will be rooting for Exeter, due to my loathing of the Oxbridge bias; I think enough colleges have got through to give the two universities a fair representation in the next round.

I got 7 questions right. I MUST BE SOME SORT OF MANIACAL GENIUS.

I got 21.

I got 7 too :biggrin:

Reply 113

hobnob

14

Reverie.

I got 21.

Yes, but your score doesn't really count, Jeremy. :wink:

Reply 114

Reverie.

14

My alter-ego has been discovered. :ninja:

Yessss.

Damn. Bad questions, that was it.

Reply 117

Angelil

19

Results under the spoiler:

Spoiler

Reply 118

empfrench

Angelil

Results under the spoiler:

Spoiler

Surely the result was: -

Spoiler

Unless I dreamt it. :s-smilie:

Reply 119

Tomber

13

empfrench

How interesting...and yet wasn't there a protest in the 80s by somewhere like Leeds over the percieved Oxbridge bias? Why would they have done that if, essentially, there was none?

That was Manchester, with David Aaranovitch on their team, they answered Trotsky, Marx or Lenin as the answer to every question.

I got about 10 last night :biggrin:

YEAH University Challenge is back

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